New Orleans Restaurants

June 3, 2014October 27, 2016

We stayed at a charming hotel on Chartes Street called the Chataeu. It was affordable and blocks away from everything.

New Orleans is a wonderful place to visit. It’s vibrant, the food is delicious, and the music on every corner is like a dynamic soundtrack to the city. Plus, you can drink on the street and nearly every place offers drinks to-go, soooo…there you have it. I imagine however, this is fun for tourists but a bit obnoxious for locals. This was a spontaneous trip that I booked as soon as I thought of the idea to go, so I hardly did any research or checked out any reviews. We went with no plans except to have a great time, and a great time was had! Here’s a roundup of some of our favorite restaurants and a few pictures I snapped around the French Quarter.

Every building is a pastel or bright shade. It’s truly a beautiful sight to see.

The FoodRoyal House: Fantastic service, great location, and they are one of the few restaurants that keep their kitchen open late in the French Quarter. The charbroiled oysters and shrimp and grits were excellent. See if you can get a table by the open windows.

Drago’s: For some reason I misjudged this place, I thought it was going to be some generic Hilton restaurant but boy oh boy was I wrong. The charbroiled oysters were better than Royal House’s and the lobster was as big as my face and made to perfection.

The Court of Two Sisters: This place is an absolute MUST in New Orleans. It’s a breathtakingly beautiful courtyard complete with live jazz and an insane brunch buffet. Don’t let the $30 per person price scare you away because it’s totally worth it. Coming from the most frugal person ever, trust me on this one. The shrimp remoulade will make you wanna slap your mama.

Tableau: We loved this place! It’s a two story stunning restaurant with a southern vibe. You must sit on the balcony for the best view of Jackson Square. $3.50 drafts and $5 cocktails from 3-7pm were by far the most affordable prices we came across.

El Gato Negro: Some of the best Mexican I’ve ever had! It’s right across from the French Market. The pineapple cilantro margarita. That’s all I’m gonna say about that.

Cafe du Monde: Of course you must dine with the tourists and enjoy a delightful beignet with either an iced or hot coffee. It’s really out of this world.

filet and fish tacos at El Gato Negro

We didn’t end up going to Preservation Hall although we had planned on it. We blame the itis.

Lobster at Drago’s. Good thing we got lost and took the long way back to the hotel because this bad boy made me want to take a nap on the sidewalk.

Places I don’t recommend

The Grill: our server at Royal House recommended this place for a casual breakfast experience. It has an old diner feel to it and it’s actually one of the least expensive places we visited (New Orleans is stupid expensive, by the way). Food was just okay – with all of the good food in the French Quarter, I wouldn’t recommend this place, there was nothing special about it and it reminded me a place we already have back home.

The Old Coffee Pot Restaurant: Rude. We stood there for about 15 minutes and nobody acknowledged us. When they finally decided to seat us (it seemed as though it was an inconvenience) the server was rude so we just left. Can’t speak for the food, but can say with all of the available options in New Orleans, there’s just no reason to pay for a bad experience.

Street music everywhere! I danced with the tuba player after an evening well spent on the Tableau balcony

A dress hanging outside of a thrift store I visited of course

I must locate biscotti anywhere I go. Although I must say, I was a bit disappointed with the biscotti from PJ’s Coffee